Slip cover



H- SUGARMAN Jan. 7, 1964 SLIP COVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 12,1962 FIGI INVENTOR.

HARRY SUGARMAN W, W 74w FIG.2

ATTORNEYS H. SUGARMAN Jan. 7, 1964 SLIP COVER Filed March 12, 196 2 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

SUGARMAN HARRY ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,116,953 SLHP CGVER Harrygngarman, 11? Gal: Hill St,

Newton Qenter 59, Mass. Filed Mar. 12, 1962, er. No. 179,049 1 tjlaim.(iii. 29722S} This invention pertains to an improved slipcover forarmchairs, and has for its primary object the provision of versatileslipcovers which may be snugly fitted to a wide variety of styles andsizes of armchairs.

Many attempts have been made to afford universal slipcovers ofnon-stretchable fabric, capable of fitting the wide variety of availablearmchair styles, in order to avoid the expense entailed incustom-fitting a cover to each individual chair. Partially-fitted coversavailable on the market are not highly adaptable since their customarypro- VlSiOll of pro-formed pockets for the backs and arms of the chairlimits the range of chair dimensions which can be neatly and snuglyfitted; this requires that merchants stock a large assortment of stylesand sizes.

A major obstacle to the provision of a truly universal slipcover is thedifliculty in closely fitting the front portions of the arm rests andthe seat cushion of such widely diverse chair types as the T-cushion, inwhich the chair arms terminate rearwardly of the chair face, and thesquare cushion, in which the arms terminate flush with the front face.Less dificulty is encountered in fitting the chair back and arms; it haspreviously been proposed to satisfy this requirement by providing thecover with a back panel and arm panels which are connected only to aseat panel, but are not connected one to another, and which includesufiicient material to cover various sizes. The excess is tucked intothe crevices between the chair arms, seat, and back, and drawn over thesides and top of the chair back to cover the rear surface. However, thedifliculty of conforming a universal cover to the front portions of thearms, cushion, and front face of diverse armchairs has not beensatisfactorily resolved, and it is accordingly a more specific object ofthis invention to provide an improved slipcover which is adapted tosnugly and neatly conform to the entire topology of a wide variety ofarmchair styles and sizes.

Briefly stated, a preferred embodiment of the invention may be carriedout in a slipcover generally comprising five panels, including a seat,back, front face, and right and left arm panels, each connected onlyalong a corresponding one of the edges of the seat panel, oralternatively formed integrally therewith. According to a primaryfeature of the invention, outer portions of the arm panels which coverthe outer surfaces of the arms, Le. the sides of the chair, are extendedforwardly of the remaining portions of the arm panels, for foldingaround the front corners of the chair sides to cover at least the upperareas of the arm front surfaces downwardly to points below the level ofthe chair cushion, and for foldhig in underlying relation to theportions of the arm panels covering the inner and upper surfaces of thearms. Further, the front panel is extended laterally beyond the sidesedges of the seat panel, to form front corner portions for folding overthe arm panels extensions below the level of the chair cushion to coverthe lower areas of the arm fronts, and thence about the front corners ofthe chair sides for overlapping the outer portions of the arm panels onthe sides of the chair. By means of this arrangement of arm panelextensions and front panel corner portions, a chair having a squarecushion and arms flush with its front face may be snugly andattractively finished by folding the front panel corner portionsdiagonally from the cushion downwardly and laterally toward the frontcorners of the chair sides, the excess material being lapped under. Achair having a T-cushion and arms terminating $316353 Patented Jan, 7,H364 rearwardly of the chair face, may be finished by utilizing the facepanel corner portions to cover the lateral protrusions of the front ofthe cushion, as well as the front corners of the chair and the areas ofthe side surfaces forwardly of the front arm faces.

I prefer to form darts in the face panel corner portions for receivingthe front corners of a T-cushion; in this instance, there is nounderlapping of the material of these portions. When the cover isapplied to a square-cushion chair, the darts are tucked in the crevicesbetween the cushion and the chair arms. It will be understood, however,that the formation of such arts would somewhat limit the adaptability ofthe cover to various widths of T-cushions.

While the specification concludes with claims distinctly pointing outthe subject matter which I regard as my invention, it is believed that aclearer understanding may be gained from the following detaileddescription of a preferred embodiment thereof, referring to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the sections of a slipcover prior to theirassembly, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the finished cover in a flattened condition;

FIGS. 3-7 illustrate the application of a cover to an illustrativesquare-cushion armchair, shown in perspective in consecutive stages ofapplication; and

FIG. 3 is a pictorial view showing the slipcover applied to anillustrative T-cushion armchair.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, my improved slipcover generally comprises aseat panel A, right and left arm panels B, a back panel D, and a frontface panel E, the latter of which is, in this instance, formedintegrally with the seat panel A. The back panel D is irregularly shapedand includes a portion 10 for covering the front surface of theback-rest, a portion 11 for overlapping the upper surface and a portionof the rear surface of the backrest and laterally-extending flapportions 12 for wrapping about the side surfaces of the back-rest andthence to the rear surface thereof. Cuts at 13 and 14 are formed intodarts for more snugly conforming the back panel to the contours of thetop and side surfaces of the back rest. Sufficient material is providedto cover the largest chair for which the particular cover is intended,and the excess material is taken upon the rear surface and in thecrevices between the back-rest, seat, and arms. The back panel D and thearm panels B are cut with contoured edges at 16 and 17, respectively,and squared corners at 19 and 2% for fitting the intersecting surfacesof the chair back, arms, and seat, are formed by means of connectingseams 21 and 22 between the edges 16 and 17. A seam 23 connects thelower edge of the back panel D with the rear edge of the seat panel A,and seams 24 and 25 connect the lower edges of the flaps 12 with innerportions of the rear edges of the arm panels B.

The right and left panels B include inner portions 26 of substantiallythe same length as the seat panel A, which are attached along the sideedges thereof by seams 27. These portions are intended to cover theinner surfaces of the chair arms, and further portions 29 of the armpanels extend outwardly along a generally rectilinear front edge 31 andthe rearwardly flaring rear edges 17, for covering the upper surfaces ofthe arms. The rear portions of the arm panels extend over the rear ofthe chair, with the flaps 12. Outwardly of these portions, the armpanels extend into outer portions 32 for covering the outer surfaces ofthe arms, comprising the sides of the chair. Pleated ruffies 33 aresecured along lower edges of the arm panels by seams 34, to extendhorizontally along the base of the chair sides. These rufiles are ofsuificient length to extend longitudinally around the front and rearcorners of the sides of the largest chair intended to be fitted by theparticular cover.

It should be noted particularly that the outer portions 32 of the armpanels are not coterminous with the forward edges 31 of the remainder ofthese panels, but extend forwardly into extensions 35, for covering atleast the upper areas of the front faces of the arms. As shown, thematerials gathered and sewn to form darts 36 for receiving the outercorners of the chair arms, although it will be understood that this isnot necessary to the practice of the invention. To complete the armpanels, I prefer to attach elastic tapes 38 along the rear edges 37 ofthe arm panels and the outer edges 37a of the flaps 12, for convenientattachment of the cover upon the rear of the chair, and to stretch thecover taut. However, other attachment means well known in the art, suchas elastic tapes or screw pins, may be used alternatively or inconjunction with the tapes 38.

The face panel E is of a greater lateral extent than the seat panel toform, in addition to a portion 39 for covering the front face of thechair, laterally-extending front corner portions 4!). These cooperatewith the extensions of the arm panels in a versatile manner toaccommodate a wide variety of chair and cushion forms and sizes. In thepreferred embodiment, squared corners are formed in the portions 4%adjacent their upper margins by means of darts 42, for snugly fittingthe squared outside front corners of a T-cushion. The darts are formedby connecting the portions 40 with tab portions 44 cut into the facepanel B. To facilitate right-angular arrangement of the darts 42 withrespect to the face-covering portion 39, slits 46 are formed between thetabs 44 and the seat panel A. At its lower edge, the face panel isfinished by attaching a pleated ruiile 48, which, in the assembledrelation of the cover on a chair, is longitudinally aligned andpartially overlapped with the ruffles 33 at the sides of the chair.

FIGS. 37 show the manner of application of the cover to asquare-cushioned armchair 50, of the type whose arms terminate flushwith the front face of the chair. The cover is first draped over thechair as indicated in FIG. 3; for convenience, tags 52 are securedadjacent the darts 13 on the back panel D, to aid in locating the backpanel with the portion 11 draped over the rear and upper surfaces of theback-rest. One or more screw pins 53 are applied to secure portion 11 inplace. Tags 54 are attached at the outside front corners of the portions29 of the arm panels B for locating the front of the cover with respectto the chair arms. The tags 52 and 54 are discarded after the cover isattached.

The flap portions 12 of panel D and the rear ends of the portions 32 arethen brought about the side surfaces of the back-rest to the rearsurface, and allowed to hang free pending the fitting of the front ofthe cover to the chair.

As shown in FIG. 4, one of the arm panels B is then arranged to conformsnugly to the corresponding chair arm, and any excess material at therear of the arm is tucked at 57 in the crevice between the arm andback-rest. The chair cushion is temporarily removed during the shapingof the inner and upper portions 26 and 29 of the arm panels, so that theportion 26 may be brought to the bottom of the chair seat, i.e., belowthe cushion level, and secured by means of screw-pins 59. Prior toinserting the screw-pins, the extension 35 is wrapped about the frontoutside corner of the chair side and over an upper area of the armfront, and lapped under the fronts of the portions 26 and 29. In thismanner, the front surface of the arm is covered to a level extendingbelow that of the cushion. The leading edge of the extension 35, lappedunder the portions 26 and 29, is indicated at 61. Subsequently, thesecond arm is covered by the opposite arm panel B in a similar fashion,and the cushion is replaced, as shown at 62 in FIG. 5. Excess materialat the side and rear edges of the cushion is tucked about the cushion asindicated at 63 and 64, to snugly conform the seat panel A to the uppersurface of the cushion. At this time, the ruffles 33 of arm panels B arenot conformed to the chair sides, but are allowed to hang loosely.

A principal feature of the invention resides in the adaptability of thefront panel E to fit various chair forms, especially with relation tothe topology of the frontal portions of the chair arm and cushion. Asshown in FIG. 5, the front panel B is conformed to the square-cushionedchair 50 by folding the corner portions 49 diagonally in a fold 66,which is extended from the lower corner 68 of the tuck 63 adjacent thecushion, outwardly and downwardly toward a lower and outer corner 69 ofthe extension 35 of panel B. The underlapped fold is secured by aplurality of screw-pins 71. Subsequently, the ends of the front ruffle48 are brought about the front corners of the chair sides intooverlapping alignment with the side rufi'les 33, and secured byadditional screw-pins (not shown). It will be apparent that the darts 44are, in this instance, not utilized to conform to a chair surface, butare tucked into the crevices between the cushion and arm at 68, andtherefore do not appear in FIG. 5. The second arm is subsequentlyfinished in the same manner.

To finish the chair back, an insert panel 70, shown in dotted lines inFIG. 6, may be lapped under panels B and the flaps 12 on the rear of thechair, and secured by screwpins; however, the provision of an insert maybe left to the desires of the user with regard to the appearance of thefinished chair. The flaps 12 and portions 32 of the arm panels arefinally drawn snugly toward the rear surface of the chair, so that therear edges 37 mutually confront, and the elastic tapes 38 are tied in atuat fashion with suitable knots 73. The portions 32 are preferablyfurther secured by additional screw-pins 74.

To retain the tucks 63 and 64 about the cushion, and thus avoid bunchingof the seat panel in use, I prefer to insert rolls of paper 75, orpreformed tubing, into the crevices between the cushion and the arms andback, as shown in FIG. 7, as a final step in applying the slipcover.

To illustrate the adaptability of the improved slipcover to variousstyles, the cushion is shown in FIG. 8 fitted to a T-cushion armchair,in which the arms terminate rearwardly of the chair face, and thecushion is formed with lateral extensions projecting in front of thearms. Elements similar to those in the preceding figures are sirnilarlynumbered, with prime superscripts. The fitting is carried on in asimilar fashion, except that in this instance the face panel E coversnot only the front face of the chair, but the sides and cushion overthose areas protruding forwardly of a line 53h in the plane of the armfront faces. Below the cushion levels the lower areas of the extensions35' underlie the panel B. The darts 42 conform to the front corners ofthe lateral T -extensions of the cushion, the tabs 44 then coveringportions of the upper surfaces of these extensions. The portions 40' ofpanel E extend rearwardly from the front corners of the sides of thechair into overlapping engagement with the outer portions 32' of the armpanels B, and are secured by means of screw-pins 82.

From the foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of my improvedslipcover, it will be seen that the special problem posed by thevariance in the forms and relationship of the arms, cushions, and sidesin different chair styles is overcome, and that a wide variety of chairstyles and sizes may therefore be covered neatly and snugly by a givencover. It will be understood that sufficient excess matreial is providedin the various panels to accommodate a range of sizes, as well as avariety of styles; and that any excess material is taken up by tuckingin the crevices between the arms, back, and cushion, as well as by meansof the overlapping of the arm and back panels upon the rear surface ofthe chair, and of the face panel upon the arm panels at the sides and/orfront face of the chair. Various changes and modifications will readilyoccur to those skilled in the art Without departing from the true spiritand scope of the invention, and I therefore intend to define theinvention in the appended claim without limitation to specific detailsherein shown and described by way of illutration.

What I claim is:

A slipcover for chairs, including a back panel and a seat panel forcovering the back-rest and seat of a chair,

right and left arm panels extending outwardly from opposite side edgesof said seat panel and joined there to over the full lengths of saidside edges for covering inner, upper, and outer surfaces of the chairarms,

said arm panels each being formed with an extension forwardly fromportions thereof covering the sides of the arms, said extensions beingarranged for folding about the front corners of the chair sides and overfront faces of the chair arms into underlapping relation with portionsof said arm panels covering inner surfaces of the chair arms,

and a front panel extending forwardly from said seat panel for coveringthe front face of the chair,

said front panel including front corner portions extending laterallybeyond said side edges of said seat panel and arranged to overlie lowerareas of said extensions,

said front corner portions being formed with darts in proximity to uppermargins thereof for snugly receiving the outside front corners of aT-cushion when said cover is applied to a Tvcushion chair, and forfolding in a crevice between the cushion and arm when applied to asquare-cushion chair.

Krogh Oct. 29, 1957 Schutte July 21, 1959

